In a public-safety answering point (PSAP), the number of systems and devices always seems to be increasing. The increase in components can cause congestion making it hard to access devices, cables, and connections for maintenance or service. The original installation may be neatly laid out, installed, and appear fine, but over time systems and components may be added and/or replaced creating the congestion within a workspace of an operator. Congestion also reduces the amount of space available for devices and reduces the capacity for cables. These new or replacement devices may not fit as well as their predecessors, nor are they often installed with the same degree of cable management.
Located at the workstation of a PSAP call talking station is a computer system that runs the computer aided dispatch (CAD) software. The CAD software usually requires multiple monitors to provide data entry space, suggested response information, responder unit status, etc. In addition, these systems often provide global information system (GIS) data and/or mapping of the location in question, with layers of mapped data to help with the dispatch, or to provide the first responder with data to support them in their mission. The data can be anything such as fire-hydrant locations, power-transformer locations, boundaries between ambulance companies or other response units, and the like.
In order to run all of these different software systems there is typically a number of different computer and server equipment that individually connect to radio, telephony, Internet, and which host the call-talking application, CAD software, GIS software, mapping software, and the like. In order to connect all these different devices together requires a number of ethernet cables, switches, power cords, keyboards, mouse cords, and the like. Furthermore, the number of cables necessary for network connectivity has increased since PSAP systems began providing an evidentiary record of all activity for the logging recorder to store for subsequent retrieval and review. Systems connect to other systems, and data is exchanged as the next generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) compliant system is installed. Accordingly, what is needed is a more efficient and less space consuming technology for implementing a PSAP.